Original paper
Geomorphology and man
Brunsden, Denys
Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie Volume 29 Issue 4 (1985), p. 497 - 498
published: Dec 12, 1985
ArtNo. ESP022002904008, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
This volume is a useful and welcome addition to the geomorphological literature which combines a comprehensive literature search with a readable style and a wealth of example. The subject concerns man’s intervention in the natural landscape and our perception of man as a geomorphological agent. Its viewpoint, however, is that of man as a disturbing agent and seeks to catalogue the changes caused by man’s direct, purposeful, incidental or involuntary actions. The author shows how the intensity of man’s intervention differs from country to country, within different environments, and from one historical period and society to another. The bulk of the book is concerned with summarising the main types of activity. The clearing of forests and its effects on erosion, deposition rates, soil quality, salinity and laterization is comprehensively discussed with useful data and examples. The effect of grazing animals is treated thinly but is supported by a wider ranging chapter on agriculture, ploughing, terracing, irrigation, drainage and soil conservation. Mining is used to provide dramatic illustrations and includes brief discussions of subsidence, quarrying, tipping, and derelict land. Here the text is notably lacking in meaningful data. Transportation is mainly covered in terms of its effect on erosion and sedimentation with useful examples of poorly advised developments. A similar approach is used for riverbed management, dams, shore management, urban settlements and urban hydrology.
Keywords
geomorphological • historical period • salinity • soil conservation • urban settlements • riverbed management